Loading ...Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
The bane of Sookie’s life (after the vampires and weres, that is,) consists of her family relationships. Her brother is trouble waiting to happen, and now her cousin Hadley is making trouble…from the grave! Once the consort of the Vampire Queen of New Orleans, Hadley has made Sookie her heir. However, is it a legacy that Sookie truly wants to accept?
It is painfully apparent from the get-go that someone doesn’t want Sookie to scrutinize Hadley’s past – or even her belongings. What’s a cocktail waitress to do?! Investigate of course. Sookie’s bump of curiosity has often gotten the better of her, and in this sixth book of the series, she is really on a roll. Working with Hadley’s witchy landlady, Sookie takes on the supernatural world of New Orleans. She is tired of being manipulated, and ready to move forward with her relationships and her life. She is SO over Bill, her former vampire lover, and very intrigued with a new “man” in her life. She had taken part in the execution of her cousin’s murderer (this took place in the short story “One Word Answer” in the Bite anthology, reviewed elsewhere on Bitten by Books) and she isn’t thrilled with the prospect of seeing the apartment and visiting the vampire queen. However, she is anxious to get away, so the sooner she is done with the onerous task the sooner she can return to her job at Merlotte’s Bar and her own cozy home.
Adding to the frisson of excitement for Sookie, the Pelts are after her again for information about the nasty Debbie’s disappearance. The powerful and sexy Eric is persisting in bugging Sookie about going to some weird vampiric assembly get-together, and some shape-shifters seem to think they have a motive for wanting her DOA. Really, all poor the beleaguered Ms. Stackhouse wants to do is get to know her new love, the dynamically fascinating were-tiger, Quinn.
The Sookie series is one that really should be read in order. Charlaine Harris is a fantastic writer; the series builds, in suspense and atmosphere, with each successive book. The series never gets musty, and always has a surprise or two in store for the reader. Ms. Harris is terrific with character and plot development, and it is amazing how many series she juggles. (Other series: Lily Bard series, Aurora Teagarden series and the Harper Connelly series – all with female protagonists, but all very different.) Charlaine has done a great deal, in this particular series, in forwarding the public’s interest in vampires and supernaturals, yet she does it with charm, humor and creativity, keeping the series lighter than most vampire books, while maintaining the spooky elements.
The only drawback to this terrific series is that a couple of vital plotlines have been developed outside of the series proper, in short story anthologies. For most of us, this would not be a problem if we knew that was happening, but that key fact seems to have not been well publicized. Therefore, if you are reading and suddenly stumble over a plot twist you are not familiar with, check out Bite, edited by Laurell K. Hamilton, and/or Powers of Detection, edited by Dana Stabenow. Another new anthology came out in 2008 with a great set of short stories (Many Bloody Returns edited by Charlaine herself, as well as Toni L.P. Kelner – a set of stories subtitled “Tales of Birthday with Bite…”) but the Sookie story in this volume does not really forward the general storyline. It is a great Sookie read, though!
Charlaine Harris has created in Sookie, and in Bon Temps, Sookie’s hometown, a wonderful world; full, rich and addictive. So belly on up to the bar at Merlotte’s, have a cold something-or-other, and lurk in Sookie’s World.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Ace Trade; Mti edition (December 1, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0441018297
- ISBN-13: 978-0441018291
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Books in the Southern Vampire Series in the order they should be read:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone
Dead in the Family
(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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